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Oath on Bhagwad Gita to 1st Indian-origin PM of UK: Rishi Sunak’s many firsts
Defeating Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak bagged the top job to lead the country, which he had lost to Liz Truss, just 6 weeks ago
The first Indian-origin prime minister of Britain has many accolades to his credit. Defeating Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak bagged the top job to lead the country, which he had lost to Liz Truss, just six weeks ago.
This win is Sunak's vindication, who had warned in the last campaign that Truss' tax-cutting economic plans were reckless and would cause havoc. And so they did.
Truss resigned last week after her package of tax cuts spooked financial markets, hammered the value of the pound and obliterated her authority.
Let's take a look at the many feathers in Sunak's cap
First Indian-origin Prime Minister of Britain
Sunak was born in 1980 in Southampton on England’s south coast to parents of Indian descent. He grew up in a middle-class family, his father a family doctor and his mother a pharmacist, and says he inherited their hard-working ethos.
“I grew up working in the shop, delivering medicines,” he said during the campaign. “I worked as a waiter at the Indian restaurant down the street.”
He has described how his parents saved to send him to Winchester College, one of Britain’s most expensive and exclusive boarding schools.
First cabinet minister to take oath on Bhagwad Gita
Rishi Sunak, when he was made the finance minister of Britain did not shy away from embracing his heritage as he took an oath by placing his hands on the Bhagavad Gita. “I am now a citizen of Britain. But my religion is Hindu. My religious and cultural heritage is Indian. I proudly say that I am a Hindu and my identity is also a Hindu" Sunak had said.
First person of colour to lead UK
In one of the most remarkable political comebacks in British politics Rishi Sunak has become Britain’s first nonwhite leader to take the top job. He is also the first Hindu prime minister of b\Britain.
Youngest PM of United Kingdom
At 42, he’ll also be the youngest prime minister in more than 200 years, a political prodigy whose youthful looks, sharp suits, and smooth, confident manner saw him dubbed “Dishy Rishi” by the British media.
William Pitt ‘The Younger’ had been the youngest Prime Minister of UK at the age of 24.
Richest MP to become PM of Britain
This year, the Sunday Times Rich list valued the joint fortune of Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty at £730m and ranked them 222 on the UK's wealthiest 250 people list. Sunak is said to be the richest man in the House of Commons, while reports claim that his wife Akshata is wealthier than British Queen Elizabeth II with assets worth £430 million.
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First Published:24 Oct 2022, 07:18 PM IST
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